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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30144483">One Option Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatIsImportant/pseuds/ThatIsImportant'>ThatIsImportant</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DreamSMP</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dream Smp, M/M, Multi, Sad Ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:21:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30144483</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatIsImportant/pseuds/ThatIsImportant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon divergence where Karl Jacobs has been trapped in the In Between and has one option left in order to escape and, hopefully, survive.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis | Quackity &amp; Karl Jacobs &amp; Sapnap, Quackity-Karl Jacobs- Sapnap</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: Hello there! As with many stories, there is a trigger/content warning!<br/>TW // blood, death<br/>CW // Karlnapity, forgetting loved ones</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Karl</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Come on, one last time, please. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Karl stood up from the bench he was sitting at in the immaculate courtyard. He gazed upward at the birch tree towering above him. He couldn’t remember when he had arrived at the In Between last, just that he had been unable to return to his time. He had tried everything, except for one option. He pulled out the stopwatch from his now white hoodie’s pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking down at it, he studied the swirling purple and green pattern behind the arms of the watch. He watched as the arms slowly revolved around the clock, at a faster pace than normal time, as well as backwards. This was one of the many mysteries of the In Between that Karl would never solve. This was his last time visiting the In Between, he knew. He had been trapped here for who knows how long, and his memory was failing at a rapid pace, anyways. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is the end of my time travel, and if I don’t act quickly, this will also be the end of Karl Jacobs.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He dropped the watch on the ground. Taking a deep breath, he fumbled under his hoodie and pulled out the necklace he was wearing. On the necklace were two rings, one with a fire and the letter </span>
  <em>
    <span>S </span>
  </em>
  <span>engraved on it, the other a duck and the letter </span>
  <em>
    <span>Q. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Karl brought the rings to his lips and kissed them lightly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the poisonously sweet air, and stamped on the watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind went completely blank for a moment, and he stood, bewildered. Then, all his memories returned in a tsunami of thought that made his head ache. He let out a cry of pain and crumpled to the ground, tucking into a ball and biting his tongue to keep from screaming. He tasted blood in his mouth, and the thought of the blood helped to ground him in the chaos that was his brain. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m doing this to </span>
  </em>
  <span>stop </span>
  <em>
    <span>the bloodshed. I’m doing this for them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>What felt like a whirlwind howled around Karl, and he kept his eyes shut tight, trying to ignore the searing pain in his head. As soon as it had started, it was gone. Karl opened his eyes. He was in his library. He remembered everything. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did it work??</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Careful, this chapter is kinda sad lol. Hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He looked down, and his hoodie was now back to normal. He heard a commotion above his head. Two pairs of feet were clomping around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that noise?” A familiar voice said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dunno, but it sounds like it came from Karl’s library,” the other answered. There was a pause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“LETS GO CHECK IT OUT!” They said excitedly in unison, ignoring the one rule Karl had set for him. Karl didn’t mind this time, however. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s over, and I need to tell them everything.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The trapdoor opened, and Sapnap and Quackity slid down the ladder one by one, laughing. Their excitement was cut short when they saw Karl standing there awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“K—Karl?” Sapnap said, looking at him in shock. “Is that really you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course it’s me! Why wouldn’t it be?” Karl answered, confused. Sapnap grabbed Quackity’s hand for support. He stood there, shaking his head, a single tear rolling down his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quackity continued for him, equally as shocked. “You….you’ve been gone for so long; we thought—we thought you had died.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That sent a bolt of concern through Karl. “How long have I been gone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quackity was silent for a moment. “Eight months, and twenty-two days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karl couldn’t speak. How was he gone for so long? It had only felt like a few weeks in the In Between.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—I mean, I’m back now,” Karl said with a small laugh, tears starting to run down his face. He had missed them so much, but they had surely missed him more. Sapnap and Quackity ran forward and hugged him, and he hugged them back. They stood there for a long time, embracing, making up for so much lost time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But something was wrong. Karl felt a strange sensation through his whole body, and he broke away from the other two, rubbing his temple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you ok, Karl?” Sapnap asked, concernedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, yea, it’s just my head,” he answered. Quackity gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up with your eyes?!” He said pointing to them. Sapnap looked concerned as he studied Karl’s eyes as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I...I don’t—“ Karl said now clutching his head and falling to his knees. It felt like his mind was disintegrating. He looked at the two strange men standing above him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you? Do I know you?” He asked, panicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Karl, it’s us! What is going on? Are you ok?” The man with a white headband tied around his hair asked, tears staining his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How does he know my name?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The memories flooded back once more, making his head feel even worse. He began crying, having no idea what was happening or how to fix it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It didn’t work, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he realized with a pang of dismay and fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tears streaming down his face, he looked up at his fiancees. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll never see them again. We will never get married. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He tried studying every detail on their faces; how their jaws were clenched tightly in panic, how their eyebrows scrunched in concern, and the fear and confusion in their eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen… read these books in the library. I hope they will make sense.” Karl struggled to speak as it seemed like the world was falling apart before his eyes. “I love both of you, so much. Please don’t forget me. I’m so sorry.” He struggled to his feet, kissed each of them, and was torn apart by time, thrown into nothingness.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! :]</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The final chapter<br/>You may cry<br/>TW // forgetting loved ones, forgetting who you are, derealization (I think plz correct me if not), death</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Sapnap</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood blankly, unable to remember what had just happened. He felt an immense sadness and fear, but he didn’t know why. He turned to Quackity, and saw the same expression on his face. Smiling, he wiped a tear from Quackity’s cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What just happened?” Quackity said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea. Wonder what this place is?” Sapnap answered, looking around at the library they were in. He walked over to a book titled </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Lost City of Mizu. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The author’s name had been scratched out. He flipped through the pages, reading here and there. He put the book down and walked to the other end of the room, not noticing a necklace with two rings on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. Maybe we should check this out later,” Sapnap suggested. Quackity nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea, we have a wedding to plan right now,” he smiled mischievously. Sap smiled back, and fondled the single ring on his finger, engraved with a duck and the letter </span>
  <em>
    <span>Q.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t wait to be married to Big Q. I always knew it would be him, and only him. My Quackity.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>????</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes. There was nothing around him, just a big void. Looking down, he realized he was wearing a black hoodie with a white swirl. He saw a man walking towards him, in a tattered trench coat, black jeans, and combat boots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello there,” the man said, fidgeting with a pack of playing cards in his hands. “My name’s Wilbur. Welcome to the Afterlife.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at this ‘Wilbur’ man blankly, unsure of what to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I know you?” Wilbur asked. He shook his head. “Well, what’s your name, then?” Wilbur asked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I….I don’t know.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed this short story! If you need it, remember: You are real, and so am I. Remember to hydrate, eat something if ur hungry, talk to friends if you want. Reach out for help if you need it! Ily (/p) and you are awesome for existing and reading my story :) Have a good day and tysm.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, I wouldn't mind leaving some kudos ;) /hj<br/>Also, be sure to check out my other stories!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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